Crimson Blade Online
by Shimmering-Sky
Summary: Thousands of players had logged on to the new VRMMORPG known as Sword Art Online. Unbeknownst to them, they were trapped in the game, including those with the power of the Crimson Dragon: Signers, Crimson Star Guardians, and an Envoy. Will these people use their powers to survive and escape this game, or does death await them? Co-written with mcdinh!
1. Prologue

S-S: Finally… Finally, it's done!  
Sky: What's done? Please don't tell me that you just created another chapter of either Midnight Sun or Crimson Games with more deaths.  
S-S: Nope. That's for later. This is different, because I am cowriting a story with another author! It's a Yugioh 5Ds and Sword Art Online crossover!  
Sky: *eyes widen* What?! With who?!  
?: With me, that is.  
*mcdinh appears out of nowhere*  
Sky: Ah! It's you!  
mcdinh: Hey Sky! Glad you still recognize me since Ask and Torture Cast.  
S-S: So you're cowriting with my authoress on this crossover of the animated death game.  
mcdinh: Mmmhmm. And that means that Shimmering-Sky's OCs (including yourself), my OCs, and the 5Ds casts are going to be trapped inside the virtual reality game for a very long time.  
Sky: *groans* I don't like the sound of it.  
S-S: Hey, where's Crystal? I thought she's always around you.  
mcdinh: Well not this time. Let's just say… she's kinda occupied for now.  
S-S: You didn't tell her about this crossover, did you?  
mcdinh: Nope. The only crossover she knows I'm planning to do is the Vampire Academy and Yugioh 5Ds crossover. But that's another story for another time.  
S-S: Yeah. Okay. Anyway, we should get started on this. BTW, neither of us own Yugioh 5Ds or SAO.  
mcdinh: But we do own our OCs. Shim owns Sky, I own Crystal, and some other characters that will appear later on in the chapter. So enjoy!

* * *

**Prologue**

**Sky's POV**

_I was in a forest. That was how my visions always started, and how they would be for the rest of my life. A forest with extremely tall trees, but no other life except me… until a little wandering took me to a clearing where a familiar creature rested._

_The Crimson Dragon, a creature with almost unrivaled power, laid curled up like a serpent at the center of the clearing. I would only have to wait for a moment before her eyes opened - golden, flickering, amongst the orange and red._

_As always, she didn't say anything. Her actions were the way she spoke to me; warning me about something in the near future._

_But this was where the similarities to my few other visions ended._

_The trees turned to weapons, buried in the ground. They came in all sorts - swords, axes, maces, daggers, and so many more - and as I turned around, I could tell there were just so many of them. What were they doing here? Why was the Crimson Dragon showing me this?_

_And the weapons turned to outlines of people, glowing despite the light shining down from the sky. They, too, came in all sorts of colors. But the ones closest to me were bright crimson, just like the dragon I was bound to._

_I knew exactly who those eleven were. The six Signers, and the five Crimson Star Guardians. That meant this vision was extremely important-and could only mean that something dangerous was coming._

_A whirlwind of green letters and numbers - was that… code?! - appeared in front of the eleven crimson people, and morphed into some sort of monster. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was definitely armed with some sort of sword. It lunged forward, and everything went black. It was just me and this creature that may or may not be made of code, floating in an endless expanse of darkness._

_The monster's attack missed me, but barely. I had no time to react before it swung again, and the sword dug into my side._

_I expected pain, but none came. I expected blood. Again, none came. I only felt tired, and when I looked down, a gash made of some red grid was there instead of a lethal wound. Right before my eyes, the wound vanished. And when I looked up, there was a health bar in the corner of my vision, with nearly half of it empty. Was this… some sort of game…?_

_"Be wary, my envoy," a voice echoed in the darkness. "Very soon, your entertainment may become a source of sorrow instead."_

_The creature swung at me again, and I could only watch as the sword got closer and closer to my neck and-_

I sat up in bed, heart pounding and out of breath. That felt too real - as though I had almost truly died in that vision… What had the Crimson Dragon said, again? Entertainment becoming a source of sorrow? And all of that code, too. Could she have been referring to…? No, the game doesn't officially go on until tomorrow, and how could something so new turn bad just after being released?

Two emerald spheres appeared in the darkness, and a hand grabbed my own. "Are you alright, Sky?" he asked.

I sunk back down into our bed, and sighed. I hated it when I woke up my husband because of my powers. "I'm fine, Shoshan. Go back to sleep."

"You sure? It sounded like you had a bad one this time. And your birthmark was glowing so brightly this time…"

My birthmark was glowing? Lovely. Now I would feel really exhausted tomorrow, and I wanted all of my energy so that I could dive into that game and stay as long as I could. …Ah well, I should just try to sleep. "Mhmm. Yes, I'm sure. Goodnight."

"G'night…" he mumbled, and rolled over.

As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but think about what tomorrow would bring. That omen seemed weird, but I wouldn't let anything stand between me playing Sword Art Online with Shoshan…

* * *

**Crystal's POV**

_"…and that's how I ended up getting the game while getting trampled by all those people."_

I smirked when he said those last words. Currently, it was late at night, and I was talking with my friend over the phone. Apparently, we were talking about the opening day of Sword Art Online, aka SAO. "And that's why I told you that you didn't have to go through all that trouble just to get the game for me, Aoi," I said, "I could've gone over there and gotten it myself."

_"C'mon Crystal. You were at the audition during that time,"_ Aoi retorted, _"And there's only ten thousand copies of these things. If you got there by the time your audition was done, then there would've been none left. Besides, I know how much you want to play this game, so that's why I decided to buy one for you as well."_

I laughed, "Well thanks. That's sweet of you. Um…how much does the game cost again?"

My friend sighed, _"If you're thinking about paying me back, you don't need to. I-"_

"No! I insist!" I said in a slightly stern tone, "I'm not going to let my best friend go through all the trouble getting SAO for me without getting paid back. It's not fair that way."

_"But-"_

"No buts. After the opening ceremony, I'm going over to your house to give the money to you. That's final!"

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone, before I heard Aoi sigh in defeat. _"Alright fine. I'll accept it."_ Then, his voice brightened up in excitement, _"Anyway, I have to hit the haystack right now. I hope to see you in the game tomorrow."_

I smiled. "And I hope to see you tomorrow too. Remember that."

_"I will."_ I heard him chuckle. _"Night, Crystal."_

"Mmm. Good night, Aoi."

I hung up the phone and laid back down on the bed. As I pulled the cover over myself, I heard something that sounded like a "meow" beside me, and turned slightly, only to see a black cat with crimson eyes staring back at me with curiosity.

"Heh. You were listening to us, weren't you Shadow?" I asked him. He only mewed in reply, and I smiled a little, "Well, tomorrow is a big day. This will be my first time in a virtual reality game, and I can't wait to see what it looks like."

Shadow stared at me for a while before mewing again and curled up beside me, before drifting to sleep. I turned to my right, where I saw my NerveGear next to my computer on my desk. Everything was set up and calibrated. All I needed to do was create my avatar on the opening day of Sword Art Online.

Suddenly, I felt the burning pain on my arm and lifted it up a little, revealing my birthmark in shape of a red five-pointed star. My eyes widened as I could've sworn I saw it glow brightly before it dimmed down again. Honestly, I found that strange, because it started doing that a couple days ago, right before the SAO game were on sale. And I had a feeling that couple of my friends, who have the same marks as me, were experiencing the same thing as I did. But, I decided to talk to them about it after the opening day tomorrow. For now, I just need to rest, so I have enough energy to play the game tomorrow.

I turned the light off and drifted to a dreamless sleep. I felt the excitement filled up inside me, that I had a hard time falling asleep. However, little did I know that there were three things that I should've expected, but didn't, would happen to me.

One, the mark on my arm was no ordinary birthmark.

Two, fate awaited me, as well as some other people I will meet soon.

And three, this game will be one that I soon will regret ever playing.

**~To be Continued~**

* * *

S-S: Mm. That's a good start.  
mcdinh: Definitely.  
Sky: *Stares*  
S-S: Is something wrong, Sky?  
Sky: *Blushes* Huh? Uh, er, n-nothing! Nothing's wrong.  
S-S: Really? I'd say you're flustered about how you're married to Shoshan in this story.  
Sky: I am NOT flustered.  
S-S: Then why is your face bright red, hm?  
Sky: *Scowls* I-It doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that creepy foreshadowing you put in.  
S-S: Creepy foreshadowing? Pretty sure most of that was at the end of mcdinh's part.  
mcdinh: …Well, most of your section was a vision of the future. I'm pretty sure that's foreshadowing.  
S-S: Yeah, but not CREEPY foreshadowing.  
Sky: You killed dream-me. That's definitely creepy.  
S-S: H-Hey, I'll have you know I'm not letting my muses kill you in this story.  
Sky: …Is that supposed to mean something?  
S-S: *Sweatdrops* Um… maybe? *Thinking* I better make sure she doesn't find out about my muses' plan for her in Crimson Games…  
Sky: Whatever…  
mcdinh: Well… I guess this is it for this chapter. Reviews would be great!  
S-S: They certainly would be!


	2. Chapter 1: Sky

S-S: And we're back! Sorry it took so long. I had finals and an audition to prepare for-mcdinh's had her part done for over a week.  
Sky: What do you mean? And where's mcdinh?  
S-S: See, instead of having your part and Crystal's part in the same chapter, mcdinh and I decided that I'll post both POVs simultaneously as different chapters. That way the shift will be easier to get used to.  
Sky: Uh...huh...  
S-S: Yep!  
Sky: ...As long as you don't let your muses pour all the evil into this chapter, I'm okay with that.  
S-S: Pfft, they're doing that with Crimson Games. And the evil only starts at the END of this chapter.  
Sky: What-  
S-S: We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds or SAO! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Sky's POV**

"Meema! Wake up!"

Something heavy landed on my stomach, and I let out all the air in my lungs with an "Oof." I slowly opened my eyes, knowing what I'd see. My six-year-old daughter, her short golden hair tied up in something resembling a ponytail, her green eyes filled with bubbly excitement. Even though I didn't like being woken up by getting jumped on, I couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, Reli…" I whispered.

She giggled. "Mornin' Meema!"

The clock showed 10:43. I didn't usually sleep this long - but I guess it couldn't be helped. That vision last night was exhausting, plus this way I have less time to kill while waiting for SAO to go online.

I ruffled her hair a little. "Say, Reli, why don't you go tell your daddy to go make me some food while I get dressed, okay?"

"Uh-huh!" Aurelia, my daughter, grinned again. "Extra-special pancakes! And then you tell me a reeeeeeeally long story, and then we can play that game!"

"Exactly, sweetie."

She's out of the room in a second. Sometimes, I had to wonder where she got her energy from…

Two hours passed by surprisingly quick. I didn't really care, and neither did Aurelia or Shoshan. We were all so excited to play SAO together - especially Aurelia, because this was her first time ever playing a virtual reality game.

We already had all of the equipment set up in Shoshan's and my bedroom, so all we had to do was strap on the NerveGear to be ready to start. We all got on the bed, with Aurelia sandwiched between me and my husband.

"Well…?"

Shoshan nodded. "It's time."

My daughter grabbed my hand, and I bet she was holding Shoshan's hand as well. A smile found its way onto my face, before all three of us declared, "Link Start!"

**~X~**

It took me awhile to decide on my avatar's name, which was why they probably made it into the SAO world before me even though we started the link at the same time. My outfit consisted of: a black shirt, with sleeves that went down to my wrists and poofed out a little; a thick leather vest, likely for protection from enemy attacks; a dark purple skirt that ends about three inches above my knees, which I am okay with; and black boots trimmed with purple. And my name while playing in here would be Dusk.

With that, I entered the game.

I froze up while trying to reorient myself to my surroundings. I had to be in a town square of some sort. There were people all around me, but I didn't recognize any of them. Did Shoshan and Aurelia start the game without me?

"That you, Sky?"

Or not. I spun around, and saw two people. I knew instantly that they were my daughter and husband, but they looked totally different. Shoshan had longer hair, which was also a little darker. His eyes were blue instead of green. Oh, and I'd never seen him in armor before - a silver chestplate atop a dark blue shirt, with leg guards and some heavy-looking boots.

Aurelia, on the other hand? For one, she changed her age to look like she's thirteen or so instead of almost seven. For another, her hair was now black. Her outfit was also blue, although it didn't come with a lot of armor. I wouldn't be surprised - it would probably be too heavy for her.

"Ah? Shoshan, Aurelia?" I replied, just to be safe.

The blonde nodded, but added, "My name's Dox in this game, though."

"Mine's Natsumi!" the girl cheered. "How 'bout yours, Meema? Did ya change it?"

I ruffled her hair - it still felt the same from when I did it this morning - and smiled. "Yep. I'm Dusk."

"I love it!" Aure - _Natsumi - _exclaimed. Then she grabbed my hand and started tugging me towards one of the side streets. "C'mon Meema! We gotta go see the market!"

I liberated my hand from her grasp, and smiled slightly. "Okay, okay, I'm coming."

"Um… The market's the other way," Dox interrupted.

…Man, it's going to take some getting used to their new names. And my own, too.

**~X~**

Clothes, armor, weapons, accessories. If another RPG had it, then this market had it in abundance. Everything short of magic, anyways. A lot of it was _way_ too expensive for brand-new players to buy, though. I could probably only buy a basic weapon or healing item after fighting a few enemies.

That, of course, led to my daughter spotting a necklace in an accessory stand. It was a black cord, with crystal beads and one amethyst stone tied onto it. The stone was surrounded in a gold trim.

Natsumi looked at me; her eyes practically _screamed_ that she wanted it. "P-Please, Meema?"

_Haha… no_, I thought when I spotted the price tag. 100,000 Cor. "Sorry Mimi," _ah, figured out a nickname for her_, "but we don't have enough money. Not even _close_."

"Daddy, don't _you_ have enough?" she whined.

He looked sad as he shook his head. "We'd be lucky to get that much in a month. Not now… Mimi."

"Aw…" Her dejected face lasted all of five seconds. It then lit up, probably because she came up with an idea. Which she did, and shared with us immediately. "Let's go kill some monsters and get more money! _Then_ I can get the necklace!"

Did she not hear the part where Dox said it would probably take over a month to get enough Cor? Oh well. At least we had a goal to work towards other than beating the game. Not only that, but it was the perfect excuse to get used to the weapons in SAO. Dox and I both had Straight Swords - his was two-handed while mine was only one - and Natsumi had a Short Sword, so our… if I remembered correctly, the manual referred to them as sword skills… would be different.

If the starting town, aptly named Town of Beginnings, was impressive, then the fields that surrounded it were ten times better. They looked like they went on forever (even though I knew they didn't), and the plants were all perfectly detailed.

And then there were the demon boars. I'd like to call them that even though they didn't really cause me any trouble. Why I called them the demon boars was because I saw a fifteen-year-old boy with teal hair and gold eyes, who pretty much sucked at fighting, getting destroyed by one.

_Seriously, why? The boars are literally the weakest monsters in this game._ I shrugged away the thought. He'll learn eventually.

**~X~**

Four hours, two dozen monsters, and 720 Cor earned later, my husband asked, "Think you got a hang of things, Sky? Er, I mean, Dusk?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I just wish we earned more money. I mean, only 30 Cor each time we defeat a boar? We'll never get anywhere." _Especially if Mimi wants that necklace _that _badly._

"Eh." Dox shrugged, and stared back at the sky. It was only 5:25, but the sun was already going down. The skies were painted with golds and deep pinks - nearly as beautiful as sunsets in the real world. The programmers for this game must have been experts to pull this off. "It is what it is."

"Do we have enough for that pretty necklace yet?" Mimi squealed.

"Sorry… We've got a long way to go."

"Oh." She frowned a little, and then yawned. Immediately afterward, she clamped a hand over her mouth. "I-I'm not tired!" she cried out. "I don't wanna leave SAO yet! I love it here!"

"We've been here for over four hours though," I told her. "We need a break." I brought up the menu with a swipe of my right hand, and then stared at it in confusion. On the main tab, the bottom choice was empty. The bottom choice was supposed to be the log-out button. "Um… Dox… Total noob question, but how are we supposed to log-out if it's not on the menu?"

His brow furrowed as he went to check his own menu. It, too, was missing the log-out button. "Well… That's weird…" he muttered.

"No kidding."

"So… we can't go home?" Natsumi asked with a grin. Of _course_ she would be happy about a game-breaking glitch, if it meant her being able to stay in Aincrad some more.

I sighed. "It looks like it." I wished we could go home though. I mean, this game was great and all, but I didn't want to be stuck in it forever. Plus, I was supposed to meet some friends from work for dinner at 6… and I wouldn't have to pay for it…

A bell started to ring. Each gong drove a shock through my body, and I wanted it to stop. Why would a bell be ringing in the first place? Was there some sort of event? I get my answer a second later, when a blue light blinded me. It took a bit of blinking to get my vision back into focus, and when I do, I realized we were back in the Town of Beginnings.

Then the sky started blaring an alarm, turning into a grid with hexagonal blocks. Something that looked an awful lot like blood seeped out of the cracks between the blocks, but it never reached the ground. Instead, the blood-like substance gathered into a giant figure - red robes, lined with gold, and we couldn't see his face. The figure spread his arms, and declared, "Attention players, I welcome you to my world." A pause, and he continued, "My name is Akihiko Kayaba and, as of this moment, I am in control of this world."

* * *

S-S: Alright, that's it.  
Sky: Really? Was that blood coming from the sky really necessary?  
S-S: Considering that was from SAO itself, yes, I'd say it was necessary.  
Sky: *Sigh* So... then... what's with the avatar names?  
S-S: You mean the fact that they're references to my other stories? I mean, what did you expect me to do, keep your name the same like Asuna did?  
Sky: Yeah, pretty much. ...Although, how is "Dox" a reference?  
S-S: Remember the different backstory I gave to Paradox in Blue Sky?  
Sky: Yeah, but what does-oh. Paradox. Dox. I get it.  
S-S: Good. Well... that's all for now. You guys review and go on and read mcdinh's chapter! And review it too!


	3. Chapter 1: Crystal

mcdinh: Alright! Since Shimmering-Sky did her part for CBO, it's about time I'll do mine.  
Crystal: Considering that I have to deal with the death game, some of us might end up in mental breakdowns.  
mcdinh: Hey, be happy that none of you guys are going to die in this game...er I mean...story. And no matter how much Shimmering-Sky's muses want otherwise, that's what we both agree on...At least for now.  
Crystal: Oh boy...Do I want to know?  
mcdinh: Do you even know what they're planning on in Crimson Games. Or have you read the newest chapter of Midnight Sun?  
Crystal: Nope. And I don't think I want to know.  
mcdinh: Okay. Anyway, neither of us own Yugioh 5Ds or SAO. But we still own our OCs. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Crystal's POV**

The next day had gone by, and I was settling down on the kitchen table, eating lunch I made for myself and my aunt. She already finished hers just a few minutes ago before heading back to her room just to get ready for work. My uncle left for his this morning, not that I was really concerned about him. I just continued eating while keeping my eyes on the TV screen. Apparently, they were talking about opening day of SAO and how quickly the copies were sold. Geez, Aoi wasn't exaggerating when he said those games sold fast.

"Crystal, I'm heading out right now!" I heard my aunt call out from the hallway, "I'll probably be back by seven."

"Alright!" I replied. I heard the door shut and my aunt's car starting up and exiting the driveway. I took the plates from the table and started washing them. By the time I'm done, I glanced at the clock, noticing it was a few minutes before 1:00 PM. I quickly head upstairs to my room and turned on the computer to set up the game. Then, I plugged in the NerveGear, placed it over my head, and lied down on my bed for a few minutes. Finally, I closed my eyes and whispered a single command.

"Link Start!"

Suddenly, everything turned white and I felt myself flying through the streams of colors. I was brought in to the sign-up menu, so I created the username and password for myself. Next, I began the task of creating an avatar for SAO and continued my way to the game.

It was only an instant later that I finally found myself in the middle of the starting city in the form of my in-game avatar. I felt my hair was adjusted to a loose braid that fell over to my left shoulder. I also remember that I made my face look a little bit mature and looked down to see that I was wearing a long-sleeve lavender shirt with a white skirt and a silver breast plate armor over my body. I smirked at myself, knowing that game process is a success.

"Game Start!" I said with my head held high and dashed through to city to start my adventure.

Inside this place was more like a city from the middle ages, and was already filled with new players. From here, I made my way through the crowds and stumbled myself in front of a weapon shop.

"Wow…so this is the place where they sell weapons," I mumbled to myself and scan through the display window. "Though, it's kinda pricy here."

I continued to navigate through the city, often passing by some of the shops and getting hit on by some male players (much to my disgust). Though, it came to the point where I finally found myself lost in the city, not knowing where the low-level monster fields are. I slightly groan and mentally face-palmed myself. _Ugh…I should've called Aoi earlier to see if he's in the game now_, I thought, _Just where is he anyway?_

Suddenly, I spotted a young woman with short jet-black hair, wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt, white skirt, and silver armor passing by me. She seemed to be ignoring all the people around her. Though, I hesitantly made an attempt to catch up to her.

"Um…excuse me?" I uttered out. The dark hair women turned around, and then I noticed that she had a pair of piercing blue eyes that kinda made me shiver. Then, I gulped, "Er…I was wondering…do you know where the low-level monster fields are? I'm new here, and I kinda got lost in this area, so…"

There was an awkward silence between us before the dark-haired player finally spoke. "Yeah. It's nearby the shopping plaza. Though, it's sometimes easy to get lost there. If you like, I can take you there right now."

I thought for a minute before replying back, "Okay. Sure."

It only took us a few minutes to get there, and I later found out that the dark hair woman was named Yuna. She took me to the grassy field, where there are a few boars with red eyes wandering around the areas.

"These monsters you're seeing right here are called Frenzy Boars," Yuna explained, "They're the most weakest monsters in SAO, and they could be compared to slimes in the other games."

"Hmm. I could see why," I said, pointing out their levels next to their health bar, "Though, it could've fooled the other players just by looking at them in appearance."

"True." Yuna agreed. "Here's a tip. The best way to have them engage in battle is to provoke them first."

She grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at one of the Frenzy Boars, which got hit and turned around, glaring at the two of us with its glowing red eyes.

Immediately, the boar started charging at us. I quickly turned to Yuna, who stared back with a calm face.

"Go ahead. I'll let you get the first hit." She offered.

On cue, I quickly drew the sword from the sheath and charged straight at the Frenzy Boar. The tip of the blade began to glow bright blue as I dealt a single blow on the back of its head. It fell to the ground and burst into blue shards of polygons. Then, I sensed two more coming after me, and I quickly did another slicing blow on each one, before they fell and burst into shards of blue lights.

"Nice," I heard Yuna across the fields, "I didn't think that you would be able to execute Sword Skills that quickly. I have a feeling that some people may mistake you as a Beta Tester."

"Hehe…it was nothing." I said modestly after checking the amount of Cor and exp. points I have. "But aren't you a Beta Tester, Yuna?"

"Eh? Er…" Yuna nervously scratched her temple, "I guess you could say that. But it's nothing to be bragging about."

"Oh. But you definitely seem to know your way around here, so I have a feeling you were one of them," I said.

"Is that so?' The dark hair woman smirked. She drew her sword from her sheath and stabbed through the air a few times. Then, she charged at one of the boars, stabbed it a few times, and made it burst into shards of blue lights. "Well, this game isn't so bad, but I wish that they would add more range-type weapons."

"Range-type?"

"Mmhmm," Yuna nodded, "I'm more of an archery person than a sword fighting person. But since there are no bows and arrows in SAO, the closest thing I can use to fit my stats is a rapier."

"I see." We talked a little bit more before getting back to the field to raise our levels a bit more. I managed to level myself to level five, which was pretty decent enough for the beginner. As the sun began to set in the game, I noticed the time 5:30 pm on the menu screen and decided to call it a day.

"Well, I have to go now Yuna." I told the dark hair woman, "I have to head to my friend's house to deliver something. But it's nice meeting you. And thanks for showing me around and stuff."

"You're welcome," Yuna said, "Hope to see you again in the game…probably."

I returned a smile and went back to the holographic menu screen. I scrolled to the bottom of the screen, only to form confusion and distress on my face. I exited the menu and tried the process again, but there wasn't any button I was looking for to exit the game. I even tried to look at the other screens to see if I missed it. Nope. Nada. Zlich. As I continued to search through the menu, I started to panicked.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, noticing the look of distress on my face.

I flinched and turned to her. "There's no log-out option."

"…You're kidding, right?" Yuna asked skeptically.

"I'm serious," I retorted, "I tried searching everywhere on my menu, but it's not there."

Yuna swiped her finger down to pull up the menu screen. Once she looked at it, her face hardened, "What the heck? There's no logout option on my screen either."

I panicked. "What are we going to do?"

"Calm down. It could be just a glitch in the game. Maybe if we call the Game Master, he'll tell us what to do." Yuna suggested.

I tried out Yuna suggestion, but unfortunately, no one picked up. "It's no use. I can't get in touch with anyone."

Yuna tapped her chin and pondered a bit, "Then, there's no other way to deal with this except to wait for someone in the real world to pull the NerveGears off our heads."

Pfft…good luck with that. It's going to be a long time before either my aunt or uncle finds out about this. I was about to make a protest when all of a sudden, the air was filled with the sound of chiming bells, coming from the Town of Beginnings. Before either of us could comprehend what was going on, both Yuna and I were surrounded by blue lights and had to shield our eyes from them. Before I knew it, the lights faded, and we were back inside the plaza. Not only that, there were other players with us, who also seemed to be transported here by the blue light.

"Excuse me." I turned around to see a young woman with long magenta and amber eyes with a look of confusion and distress on her face. "Do you know what's going on in here?"

"I have no idea." I replied.

Suddenly, a beeping warning signs appeared above us and turned the sky into blood red color. What seemed to be blood seeped out of the lines and formed a massive hooded figure, clades in dark red robes. His face was completely impossible to make out.

"Attention Players. My name is Akihiko Kayaba." The hood man figure announced with an echoing voice. "And I welcome you to my world."

* * *

mcdinh: And that's that.  
Crystal: ...Okay. The ending is pretty creepy.  
mcdinh: Yeah, I know. I kinda find that weird the way Akihiko Kayaba made his appearance.  
Crystal: Wait a minute...It doesn't seem like you mentioned my username for the game. I assume Yuna's real name was used as her username, but mine as well?  
mcdinh: Oh no. You do have one. For some reason, I decided to wait till the next chapter to reveal it.  
Crystal:Oh.  
mcdinh: Anyway, back to the Crimson Prophecy and Crimson Star.  
Crystal: I rather not hear anything about Crimson Prophecy, considering what you did to me in the recent chapter.  
mcdinh: Eh...don't worry about that. It'll get better. *thinks* She better not know that the Crimson Prophecy will not have an happy ending. *thinking end* Anyway, R&amp;R please!


End file.
